Denial
by CutePiglet
Summary: A few hours before the duel between Yugi and Yami, Jounouchi visits their room to ask Yami for one last dueling tip. One-shot.


**20 days Writing Challenge**

**Day 1: **Write a short love story

**Title: **Denial

**Pairing(s): **Yami no Yuugi x Katsuya Jounouchi/Dragonshipping

**Genre: **Angst/Romace/Hurt/Comfort

**Summary: **A few hours before the duel between Yugi and Yami, Jounouchi visits their room to ask Yami for one last dueling tip.

**Author's notes: **My first Dragonshipping one-shot. This is one of those one-shots that doesn't scream DRAGONSHIPPING so your brain won't die. It's simple and subtle. I've never written something like this, but since this is a writing challenge, why not challenge myself? 8D

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The red glowing number of Yugi's alarm clock met red eyes when he opened them. Without really noticing it, he had not gone back into the Puzzle again after he had created a new deck. Closing his eyes, he went to the Soul Room and carefully opened his partner's door. There Yugi was, fast asleep in his bed. His pale hand lay next to his head, his fingers slightly curled.

Yami's blood red eyes softened and he felt his lips curling into a gentle smile, letting his hand slide down the door. Yugi needed his rest for the big duel.

'Sleep well, Aibou,' he whispered, closing the door and closing his eyes again. He was standing in their room again and he looked out of the window. He still had a few hours before everyone would wake up, it was around 3 am so no one was awake yet. He was feeling wide awake so going back to sleep was not an option.

Deciding to take a small walk outside, Yami put his hands in his pockets and walked to the small hall, but before he could open the door, he heard someone knocking. He was a bit startled by the soft sound. There was another knock, this time softer and he heard a soft sigh from the other side. Curling his fingers around the doorknob, he slowly pulled it towards him, earning a small squeak from the door.

His best friend, Jounouchi was standing there with his fist still next to his head as if he was about to knock again. They both blinked a couple of times and Yami was the first one to speak.

'Jounouchi?' he whispered, a slight frown appearing on his face. 'Is something wrong?' Jou did not answer and looked away, rubbing the back of his neck, a bad habit that he had developed over the years. He always did that when he was nervous. Yami hesitantly stepped aside, not being entirely sure about this weird meeting. Jou stepped into his room and Yami closed his door, because he did not want to wake up more people.

'Other Yugi?' he heard Jou say quietly. He turned back to him and folded his arms over his chest, nodding.

'Aibou is asleep, so I'm here.'

The sun had started to rise, a soft orange glow was shining through the large window. A part of the light reached Jou's face, it lit up his brown eyes and Yami's own eyes widened. His brown eyes were soft and filled with many different emotions. He had never seen it before.

'Do you want to sit down?' Yami suggested, moving his head a little. Jou still did not open his mouth and, instead of sitting down, he leaned against the table and placed the palms of his hands on the wood. He looked out of the window, hiding his face from view.

'… I was wondering if you could give me a few dueling tips before we leave,' he muttered. Yami blinked a couple of times again. He did not know what to think of Jou, why would Jou come to him in the middle of the night to ask this?

The air turned tense when Yami slowly walked over to the table and leaned over Jou's shoulders to grab his deck that he had created a few hours ago. With a small hum, Yami started shuffling his deck and sat down on the bed, keeping his eyes on the cards. Jou kept his lips pressed together, like before and watched the other intensely.

'In order to draw the card you need, you mustn't let anything distract you. I know you can be easily distracted by other things around you and I don't blame you, these things take practice,' Yami explained softly. 'I presume you know every card in your deck. Do you have a specific card in mind, already?'

Jou had pulled out his deck, too and was tracing the edges of the cards absently. 'Jounouchi?' He looked back at Yami who gave him a small smile. 'I didn't think this was the right time, anyway. You're tired.'

'I'm not tired,' Jou said, waving him off. 'I'm fine. I already have a card in mind. What's the next step?' Yami's lips curled into a grin, watching his friend with amusement.

'Keep that card in mind, shuffle your cards and grab the first card you see. It doesn't have to be the card that lies on top, it can also be the bottom card. Just trust your instincts and yourself,' he said, pulling his legs onto the bed and crossing them. He watched Jou's movements carefully and paid attention to Jou's eyes to make sure he was only focusing on the cards.

And then he noticed that Jou's hands were shaking. The sound of his cards scraping against each other made him worry about his friend. He laid his deck down and took a step towards Jou. Said person looked up and this time, he dropped every single card he was holding. Yami, being rather startled, took a step back and looked at the large amount of cards on the floor.

'I'll admit that I _am _tired,' Jou said with a small, sheepish grin.

'It's all right, Jounouchi.' Yami was already on his knees with Jou to help him collect all the cards again. It took a good few seconds, because it was still a bit dark and some of the cards even lay under the bed so Yami had to lie down on his stomach to get them. He gave his pile to Jou and studied his face. 'Something is bothering you.'

Jou looked at him and then looked down at his deck, shaking his head. 'I'm fine.'

'I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong,' Yami said, raising an eyebrow. 'You weren't focusing on your deck, I could clearly see that. Anyone could've seen it. Something is definitely bothering you and—'

'I just don't want this to be the last dueling tip,' Jou interrupted him quietly, looking him in the eye. 'I know you're a good duelist and so is Yugi. He has learned from the best and who knows, maybe he will defeat you and this will be our last conversation. The duel starts in a few hours and then none of us will be able to talk to you. I don't even know whom I'm supposed to cheer on.'

'Cheer Aibou on. He's the one who has to defeat me,' was the simple reply. 'And about our conversations…' Yami shifted until he was sitting on the ground and leaning against the bed. 'I don't like the fact that this will probably be our last conversation, either. I cannot predict anything, but Aibou is a good duelist, Jou. And if this is our last conversation, I just want to say that you're the best friend anyone could ever wish for.' He smiled at him and placed his hand on Jou's arm, squeezing it softly.

They fell into a comfortable silence, every now and then looking at each other with a small smile. Sunlight was penetrating the room and Yami narrowed his eyes as it was becoming harder to look around. After a while, the sunlight became too bright, so he closed his eyes and held up one of his hands to block the sunlight. That is when he felt a hand on his cheek and a pair of soft lips on his own.

The kiss was soft and simple and it only lasted for a few seconds. Yami found himself leaning into the warm touch and enjoying the feeling of Jou's lips on his. When Jou pulled back, he stood up and took his deck of cards.

'I actually came here to wish you the best of luck. So, good luck,' Jou muttered under his breath. Yami watched him leave, still leaning against the bed. He could still feel the warmth of Jou's hand on his cheek and the feeling of Jou's soft lips.

And then he finally realized it. He would probably never have this feeling again. He had a tight feeling in his chest and he looked at down at his hands. He felt his partner waking up and he quickly switched back. The huge walls of his mind surrounded him and he looked around, looking for nothing in particular.

His partner was walking around the room, getting ready for the big duel. Yami looked up with a small smile on his face.

'Thank you, Jounouchi-kun.'

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**Author's note: **Please leave a review on your way out~. They're appreciated. :3


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